APA 7th Edition: The Basics of APA In-text Citations | Scribbr 🎓
How to Use In-Text Citations in APA Style 7th Edition
Introduction to In-Text Citations
- An in-text citation identifies the source of information or ideas, guiding readers to the reference list at the end of a paper. It is essential to include an in-text citation whenever paraphrasing or quoting from a source.
- The video aims to explain how to use in-text citations according to APA Style 7th edition guidelines, covering necessary information, integration into sentences, and handling multiple authors or missing information.
Structure of In-Text Citations
- An in-text citation consists of the author's last name and publication year for all source types. If citing a specific part, include a locator (e.g., page number for books, timestamp for videos).
Types of Citations
- Direct quotes require page numbers; however, you can utilize Scribbr’s free citation generator for ease.
- Integrate citations using either parenthetical (author name and year within parentheses at sentence end) or narrative formats (author's name included naturally within the sentence).
Citing Multiple Authors
- For sources with two authors, use an ampersand between their names followed by the year (e.g., Harris & Cook, 2020).
- For three or more authors, cite only the first author's last name followed by "et al." and the publication year.
Handling Missing Information
- If no author is known but an organization created it (e.g., Tesla), use that organization's name instead. If neither is available, use the title formatted as per reference list standards.
Special Cases in Citation
- When using titles longer than necessary in citations, shorten them appropriately while maintaining formatting consistency (italics or quotation marks).